Train-stop mechanism



1. MCM/mus. TRAIN STOP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.29| i920.

J. MCMANUS.

TRAIN STOP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.29. 1920.

Pimm oen 19,1920.

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NI 1 T Nw 1w@ MW WTNESSES L MTM' UNITED STATES JOHN Meivmivus, or :r1-in OKLAHOMA.

TRAIN-STOP MECHAN ISM.

To cZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN McMANUs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jet, in the county of Alfalfa and State of Gklahoma, have invented a new and Improved Train-Stop Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in train stop mechanisms, an object of the invention being to provide improved electrically controlled means for preventing train collisions and which is so constructed as to automatically stop both trains when two trains are on the same block.

A further object is to provide means for operating the brakes and closing the throttle of a locomotive and provide a fusible member controlling the operation of said means, said fusible member fused or burnedV by the explosion or burning of gasolene or similar material which is ignited by a spark caused by the closing of an electric circuit when two trains are on the same block.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating my improvements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged -view in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating two locomotives on the same block which causes the operation of my improved train stop mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in section through the cup 31; y

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig..6 is a fragmentary view in lcrosssection on an enlarged scale illustrating my improved electric connection with the loco-y motive wheel.

1 and 2-represent the rails of a single block and it is to be understood that the rails of one block will be insulated from the rails of adjacent blocks, as clearly shown.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Applicationy filed January 29, 1920. Serial VI\1o.r354,949.

the same block, my improved train stopping mechanism is caused to operate, as will more fully hereinafter appear. As all of the locomotives ofthe system will be equipped alike, the description hereinafter of one mechanism will apply alike to all.

The locomotive is provided with the ordinary throttle lever 3 and with an air cock 4 which controls the air brakes, and this cock and its coperating parts may form an addition to the ordinary equipment of the locomotive, or may be connected to the equipment in ordinary use.

5 represents a weight which is connected by a chain 6 with the throttle lever 3 and is movable over a pulley 7 and through a guide S. A branch chain 9 connects chain 6 with the arm 10 of the cock 4 and is guided in vits movement by a pulley 11. Hence, when the weight 5 is permitted to fall, it will perform the double function of closing the throttle valve and opening the air cock 4 to apply the brakes. The guide 8, above referred to, is located at the `free end of a curved arm 12 and the latter is fiXed to a bracket 13. v

A tilting support 14 is made with flanged edges 15 forming guides for flanges 16v at the sides of the weight 5. This support 14 is made with perforated lugs 17 on its under face and at one end mounted to turn on a rod 18 secured in iXed supports 19 so that the support 14 can swing on its pivot to release the weight 5, as will more fully herehaving a bar 24 at one end which limits the movement of the catch in one direction. A chain 25 is connected to one end of the catch 22 and is passed over a pulley 26 and provided with a weight 27 at its free end tending to draw thecatch away from thek weight. A curved guide 28 `is provided on the frame 23 and operates to guide the downwardly swinging movement of the roller y.20 as the weight tilts from a horizontal to a vertical position. The inner end of the catch 22 has a chain 29 secured there-- to and passes around a pulley 30 on the frame 23. This chain 29 operates to hold the catch in normal position and must be released to allow the weight 27 to pull the catch out of engagement with the weight to allow the latter to fall. The control of this chain 29 constitutes one of the features of my invention and will now be described in detail.

A container 31, which may be in the form of a cup having a closed top 32, is secured to a fixed part of the locomotive and is provided with a crossbar 33 to which a fusible cord or other connecting device 34 is secured. This fusible device 34 extends through an opening 35 in the cover 32 and is secured to the chain 29. The container 31 is adapted to contain gasolene or other combustible material 36 and a spark plug' 37 is supported in the container, and when a spark is generated, will cause the explosion of the gasolene and the burning of the fusible cord 34 to release the chain 29 and permit the operation of the weight, as above explained.

The spark of the plug 37 is generated electrically and I have illustrated diagrammatically the electric means employed. First, I include the forward pony wheel 38 at one side of the locomotive and the rear pony wheel 39 at the other side of the locomotive in a primary circuit including a battery 40, the primary winding of the spark coil S and its interrupter together with a manually operable switch 41, all carried by the locomotive. To further insulate the wheels of the locomotive l may provide insulating means 42, as shown in Fig. 1. The electric contacts for the wheels are lillustrated best in Fig. 6. An arm 43 is carried by the axle box 44 and is provided at its outer end with a block of insulation 45 which supports a pin 46 having a head 47 at its inner end. rlhis pin 46 is located in line with the center of the wheel 38 and receives a coiled wire 48, one end of which is fixed to the center of the wheel and is bowed, as shown at 49, to allow it to swing freely around the head. A ring 50 is located on the pin 46 and is held against the block 45 by the coiled wire 48, the latter constituting a coiled spring and an electric contact as well, so that the v ring 50 and the wire 48 are maintained in electric contact at all times. The forward pony wheel at one side of the locomotive is electrically connected by a wire 51 with the battery 4() and a wire 52 connects the other side of the battery with the primary winding! of the spark coil S. A wire 53 connects the interrupter of thespark coil S to the contact of the switch 41, and the arm of the latter is connected to the wheel 39 at the other side of the locomotive as clearly shown in Figs. 1-and 3. The spark plug 37 is included in a secondary circuit which comprises the secondary winding of the spark coil S and the container 31, all conner shown Vin Fig.` 3.

It will benoted, particularly by reference to Fig. 3, that the wheels at opposite sides of the locomotive pilot are insulated from each other, and this is illustrated more or less dia-grammatically by the insulation shown at 42.

Fig. 6 shows in detail the electric contact between the wheels and the wires of the circuit. The coil 48, which is connected at Anected by wires 37a' and 37" in the manwheel, 38, revolves with the wheel around the pin 4G and is maintained in engagement with the contact ring 50. The pin 46 is carried by the block of insulation 45 and is in alinement with the center of the wheel 38.Y

Normally the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l with the bifurcated tongue 21 of the catch 22 located in a roller 20 and supporting the weight- 5 in horizontal position with the chain 6 slack, the tongue 21 being bifurcated to accommodate the chain 29. The primary circuit remains open until two locomotives are on the same block when the circuit is closed as follows: from the battery 40 of locomotive B, through the wire 51, to the wheel v38, through rail 2 to the wheel 38 of Ylocomotive A, thence through wire 51 of locomotive A, to battery 40, wire 52, primary winding of spark coil S, wire 53, switch 41, and wire 54 to wheel 39 of locomotive A, thence through rail 1, to wheel 39 of locomotive B, andfrom the wheel 39 through the wire 54 of locomotive B to the switch 41, and from the latter through the wire 53, the primary winding of the other spark plug, and wire 52, to the battery 40 first referred to.

With the completion of the primary cir` cuit, energization of the primary winding of the spark'coils is effected which in turn energizes the secondary windings to generate the secondary circuits current of a suflicient potential to generate the proper spark at the terminals of the sparks 37. These sparks thus generated ignite the gasolene 36 in the containers and burn the fusibleconnections 34. lVhen this happens, the weightsr of the two locomotives exert a longitudinal pull on the catches 22 to move the tongues 21 from under the rollers 20. The weights 5 `then tilt downwardly and slide out of the'supports 14 exerting a pull on the chain 6 to operate the throttle lever 3 and. the air cock 4 as will be readily understood.

The operation therefore is entirely automatic, stopping both locomotives, and this operation takes place only when two locomotives are on the same block, for other- Wise the electric circuits are open and the parts remain in normal position.

Various slight changes may be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described Without departing from the invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination With a locomotive, and means for operating the brakes thereof, of a container having combustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the brake operating means, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electriity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

2. The combination With a locomotive, and means for operating the brakes thereof, of a container havingr combustible `material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the brake operating means, a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive, and the Wheels at opposite sides of the locomotive insulated from each other.

3. The combination With Va locomotive, and a Weight adapted to operate the brakes, of means holding the Weight against down- Ward movement, a container having coinbustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the fall of the Weight, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

4;. The combination with a locomotive, of a tilting support in the locomotive, a Weight on the tilting support constructed to operate the brakes of the locomotive, a container having combustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the tilting of the support, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit with a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

5. The combination with a locomotive, of a tilting support in the locomotive, a Weight on the tilting support constructed to operate' the brakes of the locomotive, a sliding catch holding the Weight in horizontal position on the tilting support, a container having combustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the operation of the catch, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

6. The combination With a locomotive, of a tilting support in the locomotive, a Weight on the tiltingsupport-constructed to operate the brakes of the locomotive, a ksliding catch holding the Weight in horizontal position on the tilting support, a container having combustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the operation of the catch, a Weight adapted to movethe` catch, a flexible device connected to the catch and to the fusible member holding the catch in normal position, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

7. The combination With a locomotive, of

va tilting support in the locomotive, a

Weight having ianged guiding connection With the support, said Weight adapted to operate the air brakes of the locomotive, a sliding catch supporting the free end of the Weight and holding the latter in normal horizontal position, a roller on the free end of the Weight, a curved guide against which the roller swings as the Weight moves downwardly, a container having combustibleA material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the operation of the catch, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

8. The combination with a locomotive having a throttle valve and an air brake thereon, of a weight, a chain connected tothe Weight and to the throttle valve, a branch chain connecting the first-mentioned chain with the air brake valve, means supporting the Weight, a container having combustible material therein, a fusible member in the container controlling the release of the Weight, and a spark plug in the container included in an electric circuit with a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

9. The combination With a locomotive, of a container in the locomotive having combustible material therein, a fusible link in the container, means operatively connected to the fusible link and adapted when the link is broken to operate the air brake and the throttle valve of the locomotive, and a spark plug in the container included in electric circuit With a source of electricity and certain of the Wheels of the locomotive.

10. The combination With a locomotive,

and means for operating the brakes thereof,

of a flexible device controlling the release Y of said brake operating means, a container brake operating means on the locomotive, bearing against the collarpanextension on electric contacts on the forward pony Wheel one end of the coil secured in the center of 10 of the locomotive at one side and on the rear the Wheel, and electrically controlled means pony Wheel at the other side, said contacts for operating the bra-ke controlling means comprising a support, a pin projecting from and included in an electric circuit with said the support toward the center of the Wheel, contacts.

a collar on the pin and insulated from the support, a spring Wire coiled around the pin JOHN MCMANUS. 

